Letters
by AuroraExecution
Summary: If the characters of Saint Seiya wrote to each other, what would the letters say? Letter 6: Kanon has made a long journey, and suddenly finds himself back at the beginning with his brother.
1. From Rhadamanthys

**Disclaimer: **Since I am still not male, Japanese, and good at drawing, Saint Seiya logically still does not belong to me.

**Notes:** This will eventually turn into a series. I have an Aiolia one written too, but I really like my Rhadamanthys one, so here it is. There is a lot of flower symbolism in this, and I usually don't write with tons of symbols, but it just happened, so bear with me.

Don't worry, not all of them will be romantic. Just some of them.

Please, PLEASE leave me some sort of message if you like it. Motivation is always nice.

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**To Lady Pandora**

When I first arrived at Hades Castle, you had a garden.

I remember, because that was the first place I saw you--standing amid your coreopsis blossoms and winking white violets, surrounded by clusters of tiny buttercups and dancing dianthus and swaying lilies-of-the-valley. There was dirt swiped across your childish face, and you stared at me with your dark eyes wide, as if you had never seen a man before.

"Is this your garden?" I asked you, and you said yes. "Did you plant all of these?" I continued.

Like a lamp, you smiled in brilliance. Then, you took my hand and showed me all the flowers you had in your garden, told me what each was called and who first planted it and what you had done to make them grow better.

I smiled with you, for how could I resist your innocent charm?

I watched you in your garden after that, for all that summer and autumn. In the later months, as the last of the pink roses died, and only the white chrysanthemums still grew, you first fell into your role as your brother's sister. You grew into a lovely, mature woman.

When the garden withered that winter, you did not tend it.

I did not see you much, for you were the Lady now, and I had my duties as well.

In the early spring, I watched you walk in the garden. When you saw the heads of the crocuses growing out of the snow, you transformed back into the child I first knew, and you glowed as you studied the little flowers. And then I saw you pale, and reach to the helpless blossoms, and crush them in your white hand. The juice of the crocuses flowed along your new rings and froze against your skin. You threw the mangled plant away as you returned to your duties.

That summer, when the daisies bloomed, you plucked them. But when you took them inside, you pulled the petals off of them one by one, and they fell to the floor, whiter than your jeweled hand. You tossed the bald stems with their golden centers to the ground, and one of the lesser Spectres swept them up later.

After that, you never tended the flowers anymore.

For several years, it survived on its own, growing wilder day by day. Dying a little day by day.

This spring, I walked through your garden and found it was gone. Nothing bloomed. The colors were gone, and greedy greenery dominated everything. The paths were covered. Your mother's rosebushes were distorted by excesses of uncut hips, and what blossoms had struggled out were withered and unlovely.

When I first arrived here, you had a garden.

Now it is gone.

But for this.

Wrapped in this letter is a cut of the only two things left in your forgotten paradise: lavender and calendula.

An old, old lavender bush that looks as though it may have grown here for hundreds of years has stubbornly clung to the earth. Lavenders are hardy, you once told me, and so it has survived with its wiry clusters of purple.

And the calendula, what you told me your father called the English marigold, in a blinding sun's spray of gold, has thrived in some of the furthest parts of the garden, where the sun still shines.

But you have forsaken your Eden, and it has become a mortal realm.

After I am gone, Pandora, I will become part of the dying fragrance of the lavender and calendula in your hands.

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**Notes:**

coreopsis - love at first sight, always cheerful  
white violet - chance with happiness  
buttercup - childishness  
dianthus (barbatus) - grant me one smile  
lily-of-the-valley - return of happiness, purity of heart, sweetness, humility  
pink rose - happiness  
white chrysanthemum - loyal love  
crocus - gladness, cheerfulness  
daisy - purity, innocence  
lavender - devotion  
calendula (specifically, the pot marigold or English marigold) - grief, despair


	2. From Aiolia

**Notes:** This was actually the first Letter I wrote, but I liked the Rhada one so much I had to post it first. Thanks to Alaiya and mav for their reviews of chapter one, and to all those people who read the first letter.

Please do leave me a review and tell me what you think. Thanks.

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**Dear Marin**

Sometimes I wish I could die. I wish I'd fall off the edge of something high, or be killed by an opponent, or just...fall asleep and never wake up.

I've lived alone for nearly all my life. I've had nothing to hold on to. I've wanted to stay independent and free.

But for you.

I opened my eyes for you. I breathed for you. I made my blood course through my veins...for you.

It wasn't love. We said it wasn't. We knew for certain that it was just a deep, deep friendship.

And then, one day, it was.

At least, for me.

But that day was a bad day to tell you. And so was the next, and the next, and the next after that. You never showed me you wanted to know. You stopped caring. You stopped talking to me. All you saw was fighting and Seiya and the goddess. I am ashamed that my priorities were not the same.

Because, Marin, oh gods, I love you. I love you.

Yes, because you took my hand--the filthy, base hand of someone who had traitor blood--and you held it tightly on the nights I could not find myself anymore amidst the sorrow and rage. Because you sat at my side when I pretended I didn't care about following an order I knew was wrong. Because you told me I could stand up again when they pushed me down. Because you believed I could be more than I really was. Because you, alone of all people, smiled at me just because you wanted to.

You smiled.

It was the most beautiful thing in the world.

And I loved you, and loved you.

But you looked far and high. You fought with all you had. And we remained comrades in arms, friends, nothing more.

Each day I wished I wouldn't wake up in the morning to face the torture of seeing you walk further and further away. I was never so lucky.

No, I lived, and I watched you, and you kept right on walking.

I still couldn't tell you. I couldn't make you turn back, you so wanted to go forward.

Tomorrow, Marin. Something tremendous is about to happen in Sanctuary, and for good or ill, I will fight. I will be the man and the Saint you believed me to be. It is very, very likely I will die in the upcoming war.

I hope you live.

I hope you love.

I hope you smile.

And I hope you always remember that I love you.


	3. From Dohko

**Notes:** First off, thank you to Eros1, mav, Ezra-Asgard, Alaiya and Alake for reviewing. Also, thank you to everyone who read and is reading now. Finally, a shout-out to Niteskye who wrote me such a lovely Julian/Saori piece.

So, finally a letter that is not romantic-based. Actually, none of the next few will be. I've tried to explore some of the master/student and friends and siblings relationships. Anyway. Leave me a review if you enjoy it.

This letter is written by Dohko.

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**Shiryuu**

I've never been much for useless praises or childish talk. That's probably why I don't often say to you, "you've done well, boy", but instead I simply nod, or teach you the next step in your training.

I must admit I had quite some faith in you when you first arrived here, all those years ago. You were so young, but you had calm and confidence. No family, no sense of belonging, but mastery over yourself. You had been torn from your friends and forced to come alone to a strange place to undergo unknown training, but you were not afraid.

It was that attitude that helped you grow to where you are today.

You were not taken in by the village below, by the candy and the fights and the socialization, though Ouko was. You were happy with your training and Shunrei and an old man like me. You've always been very easily satisfied.

I suppose that's a good thing, Shiryuu, since you never found you needed anything more than training yourself, having the people you loved safe, and fighting for Athena when the situation called for it. You forgave easily, as well, for most things, as long as what happened was forgivable in your eyes. You were always loyal, too, defending even Ouko when the two of you were in trouble. You kept your promises.

And now, it's been, what, seven years already? You're a man now. You've fought for Sanctuary, for Athena, and for your own convictions, as well as anyone. Better, even.

I look back at all the things you've been, I see all the traits you've kept and mastered, and I find you have become the man I tried to make you to be. You are sadder, perhaps, but you have grown wise, along with all the things that made you kind and gentle.

When I'm gone, Shiryuu, make sure you live through that last battle. Make sure you come back to Rozan and watch over Shunrei, both for me and for you. Cherish her, Shiryuu.

And remember that life is a cycle in this world. Don't grieve for this old man or his peers. We have acted as we believe, and that is worth everything to us. Everything that lives, Shiryuu, must eventually die. It's a natural state of being and non-being. And dying in just the way we Saints swore we would—that's the best end we could have hoped for. Don't grieve, Shiryuu, but live. Live well, and know that each day you live your life, we are satisfied.

I'm proud of you, Shiryuu.


	4. From Camus

**Notes:** First off, thank you to Eros1 and PetiteDilly for reviewing, and thanks to everyone who read but didn't comment.

I really love this relationship as a non-romantic one. I don't know why, but the idea of Camus and Milo just being good friends intrigues me a lot.

Anyway, it's Camus writing, and please tell me what you think. Oh, and the "him" Camus refers to later in the letter is, in case you don't get it, Hyoga.

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**Stupid Scorpion**

Well, Milo, now that I'm writing my last note to you, I don't know what to say.

Of course, I've never known how to communicate very well. I guess all those years I wanted to tell you that you were a great friend, but I never did…it just wasn't my way.

You knew, though. At least, I thought you did. Maybe I was just bad at reading people, just like people were usually bad at reading me.

Well, here it is. The end. I've determined that in this battle tonight I'm going to die, and if I don't, you certainly won't be going through my things, so I can just throw this away.

But knowing him, he'll do just as I expect. He'll stand up, finally understanding who he is and why he's here. I suppose if he's still hiding from what a Saint should be, then he'll just go back into the Coffin, but I have a little faith in him still.

If he lives, Milo, and I don't, please watch over him for me. He should be fine (he's a Saint, after all), but if you could make sure he doesn't do anything too self-destructive or relapse back into the weak mentality he's kept for so long…well, I'd appreciate it.

At the end, I want to say thanks, Milo, for being the stupid scorpion you've been all along. For the pranks and the jokes, and for coming to my temple to demand food from me or waking me in the middle of the night for some random reason. For never letting me do anything too stupid, and for being a real friend in a world where it's much too difficult to tell whether someone will betray you.

Anyway, Milo. Goodbye. I'll see you in the next world.


	5. From Mu

**Notes:** As always, thank you to my reviewers: Alake, Eros1, Alaiya, Petite Dilly, and Rihannon, and thanks also to everyone who read but didn't comment.

This is another one of my favorite relationships, the student-teacher/friends/brothers relationship between Mu and Kiki. Part of the inspiration for this Letter came from an artpiece by whateverwinnie called "Brightest Star". You can find it on the deviantart website, and, in fact, please look for it, as it is a gorgeous piece.

The rest of the inspiration came from a Chinese song written for former Premier Zhou Enlai, called "Happy Birthday". The lyrics at the end of the refrain translate to: "Look at the sparkling stars in the sky, that's me, the brightest one. It wishes you happiness now." I vaguely quote this line at the end, so I want to give credit where it's due. I would highly suggest everyone listen to this song, but it's a bit difficult to find online if you don't know Chinese, so I really can't recommend it very well. However. If you ever run across the song, it's very beautiful.

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My Student, My Child

If you're reading this, Kiki, that means I must be dead.

I'm sorry, Kiki. Out of all the things I've left behind, I will worry most about you. You are so young, with a long time ahead of you. Even without a teacher, you must keep up your training and meditation. I know that the other Saints and Seiya's young friend will take good care of you.

Take good care of yourself, too. I want you to grow up to be a healthy, happy, strong Saint. Your destiny is to become the new Aries Saint, Kiki. Uphold that title with pride and conviction. Be loyal to Athena and your comrades, and fight with everything you have. At the same time, Kiki, do not forget who you are. Do not lose that adorable child who lives within your heart.

All these years, Kiki, you have been more than just my student. You woke me from the self-imposed sleep in which I learned to forget both the horror of the past and the possibilities of the future. But you came to me, and I cared for you, and suddenly I discovered, tomorrow might just be beautiful again. You are both my student and my teacher, my son and my guardian, my little brother and my best friend.

There is no need for you to feel like you have done anything wrong. You were a wonderful child, Kiki, and I was lucky to have found you. And I understand that sometimes things didn't work out the way you wanted them to. I know you tried to be good, and sometimes you got in trouble anyway, even trying not to. I know you didn't mean to do many of the things you did. It's all right. You are a child, and that is what children do. I was never angry with you for any of those things, and I want you to remember that after I am gone.

May the years treat you well, young one, and may you grow into a happier era than ours. I'll always be watching you, and as long as you are well, I will be smiling.

Do you remember the nights I would carry you on my back to watch the stars? You always identified Aries first, and then listed as many other constellations as you could see. Sometimes you would run out and make up new ones for me. If we were lucky, we would even find shooting stars. And by the end, you would always fall asleep and I would take you home and put you in bed.

Look up in the night sky, Kiki. Do you see that brightest star? That's me, watching over you and wishing you all the best.


	6. From Kanon

**Notes:** Thank you to Daniela for her beautiful review of chapter 5, and to Oblivion55 for reviewing chapter 1, and to everyone who read but didn't comment. Special thanks to whateverwinnie for her review and support, and for creating such a beautiful artpiece to inspire my letter.

Once again, a relationship I LOVE to explore: the Saga and Kanon brother relationship. It's filled with turmoil and pain and betrayal, but these two are so wonderful and sad that I have to write for them every so often.

The new author is actually Kanon, surprisingly enough, even though I usually tend to lean to Saga. I really learned to go from absolutely hating Kanon in Poseidon to a sort of contempting pity in Hades Sanctuary, to absolutely adoring him in Hades Inferno. He really grows up during the show, and he's a beautifully crafted character. Please enjoy!

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**To My Only Brother**

If our lives ran through the course of a week, this is how it would go. On the first two days, we would be weak and insecure, and we would hold on to each other in fear and be comforted knowing we were together. On the third day, we would grow up, learning how to be strong alone, and walking farther from each other. On the fourth day, we would both go separately insane. On the fifth day, you would redeem yourself. On the sixth day, I would redeem myself.

And on the very last day, we would meet again and suddenly find we were back at the beginning once more.

As you go back to Hades, I want you to know that I am standing beside you. I know you will be everything I always believed you were. And if you look back, I'll be coming after you, to do what is my duty now, too.

The Gemini were always two. And when I was no longer here to be the second, your own self had to suffice. And so you were two on your own, and it destroyed you.

Looking back, I can no longer recall why exactly we moved away from each other. What we thought was so great an issue then seems so trivial now. I was stupid then, and arrogant. And I continued being so until all my work and plans were destroyed by five Bronze Saints and a little apprentice. But when I turned back to Athena, searching for what seemed to be missing, I could not find complete satisfaction. I was weak then, weaker than I had ever been, for I was self-conscious and guilty. I feared that I would fail, and I knew the others distrusted me, and so I could barely live with myself.

But when you returned, and showed me how much farther I have to go before reaching your level, I suddenly saw what I was looking for all along. My crutch. My world. My brother. By the time you returned to the castle of death, I could stand on my own again.

Do you know, Milo, who is eight years younger than I, is wiser than I ever was? He attacked me before you came. I refused to let his attack kill me, even though I was not against dying, because I remembered I had to make up my sins to Athena. I had to do something for her. And so, at the end, Milo stemmed the bleeding and, in his own odd way, accepted me as his brother-in-arms.

He forgave me when I could not. And when I saw you in Hades's armor, I thought you were really a traitor. I knew then that I must learn to be the person you once aspired to be, the person I later learned you were all along.

So you can go back to the underworld without fear, Saga. I am coming with you this time, and I am no longer who I used to be. Not the manipulative bastard who saw only himself, not the self-degrading weakling who could not live with the past, not the sniveling baby who pretended he was strong but needed his brother to do everything for him.

I am Gemini now, Saga, and I promise I will act as you would in all things. May we meet again in the underworld, and may the Gemini be a whole two forevermore. Wait for me, brother. We will protect Athena.

And we will stand together as brothers until the end.

I promise.


End file.
